University of Waterloo Biomedical Sciences admission requirements: the low 80s, calculus, no co-op and Fall 2027 dates

Waterloo asks Ontario students for English 4U (ENG4U), Advanced Functions (MHF4U) and Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U), each at 70% or more. You also need two of Biology (SBI4U), Chemistry (SCH4U), Earth and Space Science (SES4U), Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U) or Physics (SPH4U).

Waterloo says Biology or Chemistry can be helpful background but will not affect your chance of admission if you skip one or both. That said, first year includes cell biology, general chemistry and physics, and most professional schools expect university chemistry. Taking SBI4U, SCH4U and SPH4U gives you the strongest start. Plan your timetable with our course planner.

You need a diploma with at least six Grade 12 U or M courses, including all required courses, from schools accredited by the Ontario Ministry of Education. If your last four years of full-time school were not in English, you must send an English test score.

Waterloo lists an admission average in the low 80s. It says averages depend on the number of applications and spaces, and the range is based on previous years. Waterloo does not publish a Biomedical Sciences acceptance rate. Our University of Waterloo acceptance rate page covers what the school shares.

Your admission average is your top six Grade 12 U or M courses, including the required ones. If final grades are not ready, Waterloo uses mid-term or predicted grades. Since MHF4U, MCV4U and ENG4U all count, a weak calculus mark pulls your average down directly. Use our Top 6 average calculator to check your number.

One detail to note: the requirements page labels the average "co-op and regular", but the program page says Biomedical Sciences is regular only. Treat it as a regular program and confirm with Waterloo if co-op matters to you.

Biomedical Sciences sits in the Faculty of Science and centres on human and animal biology: anatomy, physiology, histology, microbiology and biochemistry. Waterloo's Health Sciences program is in the Faculty of Health, looks more at health in populations and offers co-op.

The course rules point in opposite directions. Biomedical Sciences needs calculus but not Biology or Chemistry. Health Sciences needs Biology and Chemistry but any Grade 12 U math. Health Sciences also lists a higher average, mid-80s for regular and high 80s for co-op. Read our Waterloo Health Sciences guide for that program.

Waterloo also runs a separate Medical Sciences program linked to St. George's University in Grenada. Students apply to SGU's MD program first and, if admitted, get an offer to Waterloo's Medical Sciences program for two years before medical training abroad. That is a different route from Biomedical Sciences.

Waterloo says Biomedical Sciences leaves out co-op on purpose. Without work terms, you can finish your undergraduate degree sooner and move on to the professional school you want.

You can still build experience. Waterloo points to the EDGE certificate, which pairs online professional development with work or volunteer roles. You can ask professors about volunteer lab positions, and some have funding for full-time research in the spring term. Part-time jobs and volunteer roles on and off campus are also options. If paid co-op terms matter to you, look at programs that offer them, such as Health Sciences.

Faculty of Science majors start in first year. In the fall you take BIOL 130 Introductory Cell Biology with lab, CHEM 120 General Chemistry 1 with lab, PHYS 111 or PHYS 121 with lab, a program elective and an elective. In the winter you take BIOL 239 Genetics, CHEM 123 General Chemistry 2 with lab, MATH 127 Calculus 1 for the Sciences, a communication in the sciences course and an elective.

After first year most of your courses are in biology. Sample upper-year courses include BIOL 241 Applied Microbiology, BIOL 273 Human Physiology, BIOL 302 Functional Histology, BIOL 355 Biology of Human Aging and BIOL 449 Public Health Microbiology. You can add a minor, such as Psychology or Medical Physiology, options in areas like Microbiology or Bioinformatics, or a Biotechnology Technician diploma from Conestoga College.

For programs other than Engineering, Waterloo's application deadline is February 1, 2027 and the documents deadline is February 15, 2027. That is later than the January 15 date many Ontario schools use. See our Ontario university application deadlines to line them up.

Waterloo does not use the Admission Information Form for Faculty of Science programs, so there is no essay or supplementary form for Biomedical Sciences. Accept your offer by June 1, 2027 for most students. To keep the first-year residence guarantee, finish the residence application and pay the $500 non-refundable deposit by June 8, 2027.

Waterloo estimates two terms of Faculty of Science tuition and incidental fees at $9,000 for Ontario residents and $10,000 for Canadians from outside Ontario, plus about $1,500 for books. These estimates are based on 2026-27 fees for students starting in September 2026. International students should use Waterloo's cost calculator.

Scholarships use your early May admission average. The President's Scholarship of Distinction at 95% or higher is $2,000 plus a possible $1,500 International Experience Award or $1,500 Research Award. The President's Scholarship at 90 to 94.9% is $2,000 and the Merit Scholarship at 85 to 89.9% is $1,000. On top of these, Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarships add $1,000 from 85% and $500 at 80 to 84.9%, with no application.

Admission is based on grades alone, with a low 80s average and no essay. The key planning step is Grade 12 calculus: your child needs MHF4U and MCV4U at 70% or more, and both count in the average.

There is no co-op, so plan for summer work or research and budget for four regular years. Waterloo says Biomedical Sciences is a good route to professional school but not the only one, and suggests picking a program your child will enjoy. Compare with our Guelph Biomedical Science and uOttawa Biomedical Science guides, and read our University of Waterloo guide.